What I did not like about Portugal:
We ate out more often than I have throughout my travels so far. This was not a problem, since it was really quite cheap. The problem was that it is apparently very rare to have vegetables accompany your dinner in Portugal. They love fish, they love meat, and they love potatoes. But when it comes to salad – if you get a salad – they literally mean lettuce, and maybe a tomato. When I inquired about wanting to add some sort of vegetables – Broccoli? Peppers? Green beans? – The general reaction was puzzled: Why would you want vegetables? (kudos to Andrea, who lived there for an entire year as a vegetarian!)
The sidewalks in Lisbon are made of some sort of white, mosaic tile cobblestone. It’s beautiful, keeping the city very bright on sunny days, and light even on cloudy days – much like snow will brighten a city during winter. However, any rain makes for a very treacherous walk. Particularly the downhill walks home at the end of the night when you’d rather be warm in bed, than getting wet as you try to grip the sidewalk through your boots. On the bright side, the tile does look nice, and it is mild enough that you’re not too cold.
What I did like about Portugal:
Pretty much everything else.
The city of Lisbon is beautiful. It is vibrant with buildings painted every colour, or covered in multihued ceramic tiles. It is full of character with wall paintings, projects to renew older neighbourhoods, mournful sounding Fado music drifting from restaurants, bars and street vendors, and narrow, tangled streets.
Belem district
The Discovery Monument and the 25th of April Bridge.
Alfama district
Alfama district
The Bairro Alto district is full of bars of all sorts, but the part of the atmosphere I loved the most was the way people spilled onto the streets drifting from place to place. Of course, it rained both days we went out. So I imagine it is even more amazing on a dry/summer day, but it was really cool to see the mix of people. One night we bought half litre mojitos and enjoyed them from a lookout point over the city. The mojitos were delicious, the view was good, the rain stopped, the company was excellent, and there was absolutely no risk of a fine for public drinking.
Andrea and I with our new friend Eugene - who happens to hail from Melbourne.
We stayed with friends of Andrea’s throughout our visit, and all our hosts were so wonderful – welcoming in every sense of the word. We were joined by a group of friends – some of Andrea’s old friends, and some new friends – almost every evening for dinner, drinks, or partying. I was amazed and pleased to attend a party in a ground floor flat that was allowed to carry on with loud music, and people in the streets or playing the guitar and drums until all hours of the night. And amongst all the Portuguese and Italian guests, there were plenty of (friendly) queries as to how a solitary Canadian ended up in the mix.
The food (aside from the lack of veggies) was delish. There was, of course, an abundance of fresh fish to eat. Though my first time eating a whole fish from the bone was not exactly something I was excited about, I took it as part of the experience. And luckily, there were plenty of practiced Portuguese around to help me out. There were also plenty of delicious pastries to satisfy my ever-sweet tooth.
Delicious pasteis de nata.
Andrea and I day-tripped to Sintra where we walked around the beautiful, green Quinta de Regaleira estate, exploring steep paths, caves, towers and a couple of wells. It rained steadily the entire time we were there, and yet it was the kind of place that took my breath away all the same.
Sintra
The Well of Initiation
Exploring the Quinta de Regaleira Estate
All in all, I had an amazing time in Portugal. It was not originally a country I had on my “must-see” list, but I would definitely visit again. And now I’ve switched locales to snowy Germany where I’m visiting Stefan - so far having a fantastic time.
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